Pipe fitting



July 1, 1941. T, J, SULLNN 2,247,972

PIPE FITTING Filed may 29; 1940 A im,

Patented July 1, 1941 A PIPE FITTING y Timothy J. Sullivan, Butte,Mont., assignor to Sullivan Valve and Engineering Company, Butte, Mont.,a corporati on of Montana Application May 29, 1940, Serial No. 337,908

(Cl. 13S-37) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe fittings, and more particularly to:fittings for use in the so-called one pipe hot Water heating systems.

It has been proposed to dispense with the cold water return pipe that iscommonly employed in household heating systems by connecting theindividual radiators as loop or branch circuits on a single pipe linethat extends from the hot Water outlet to the cold Water return of theheating boiler. entirely satisfactory in view of the difficulty inobtaining and maintaining a proper distribution of the heating medium tothe several radiators of the system. The arrangements previouslyemployed for diverting a part of the main stream of heating medium tothe individual radiators were not adjustable and therefore failed toeffect a proper distribution of the heating medium. Some improvementcould be obtained by using different sizes of pipe, but this method ofadjusting the frictional resistance to ilow in different parts of thesystem does not permit of accurate design and the net result has beenthat the prior hot water heating sytsems of the one pipe design haveusually failed to function eliiciently.

An object of the present invention is to provide pipe fittings for usein hot water heating systems, the iittings including an adjustable valvethat may be locked against accidental displacement. An object is toprovide a pipe fitting-` of T form for use in a one pipe hot Waterheating system, the fitting including a valve that is pivotally mountedat a point spaced from the axis of the side opening of the fitting. Afurther object is to provide pipe fittings that include a pivotallymounted baille valve having a stem that terminates in a non-circularhead at the exterior of the fitting, and a locking cap having an openingfor receiving the non-circular end of the stem, and means for securingthe cap against rotation on the fitting.

'I'hese and other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following specication when taken with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary schematic View of a heating system in Which thenovel fittings are used, and With a temperature measuring apparatusconnected to one of the branch lines for determining the adjustment ofthe valved fitting;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of one radiator and .theconnections to the main circulating pipe of the system;

The prior constructions have not beenV pump 5.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section through a T fitting embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5v is a fragmentary central section through another form of valvedfitting and associated pipe connections;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another form of the invention; and f Fig.7 is a central section through the same.

In Fig. lof the drawing, the reference numeral l identiiies a hot Waterboiler having outlet and inlet connections 2, 3, respectively, that areconnected by piping 4, 4 that forms a single path throufgh Whiqh theWater is circulated by a A vplurality of branch lines for theseveralradiators 6a, 6b, 6c are formed by connecting the radiator inletand outlet pipes l, 8, respectively, to Tv fittings that join the mainpip-r ing 4 to the short pipe sections 4 that bypass the separate,radiators. The T fittings 9 at the outlet'side of each radiator are ofconventional form` but the T fittings l0 at the inlet side of radiators6a and 6b are valved fittings that embody the present invention. Asillustrated, both T fittings for the radiator 6c are of the usual designand a valve `fitting I0 is included in the bypass section 4 to divert adesired quantity of the heating medium to the radiator 6c. i

The quantity of Water to be supplied to each radiatordepends upon thesize of the radiator and its location along the main path of Water ovv;The proper distribution of the heating medium to the several radiatorsmay be readily determined by measuring the drop in' temperatureacross'the individual radiators. As shown in Fig. I 1, a convenient formof temperature measuring apparatus includes thermocouples that areattached to the inlet and outlet pipes 1, 8 of a radiator by straps I2,and measuring instruments inV aportable case I3. Readings are made ateach radiator, With all radiator valves fully open andthe adjustablefittings set for a minimum diversion of water from the circulating line'4, 4 to the radiators. The adjustable fittings are then set -to divertmore Water to those radiators that showed the larger temperature drops,and the temperature drops across the radiators are again measured. Thesesteps are repeated until the fittings are so adjustedthat the sametemperature drop obtains across all of the radiators. Each radiator thendevelops its calculated heat output and carries its proper share of thetotal heating load.

As shown in Figs. 2-4, each valved fitting l0 inportion I8 of Q thefitting. i nalled in a recess in the inner Walliof the fitting i' 'andthe outer end of the counterbored boss .2. lcludes a disk or deflectingbaille I4, of appreciably `smaller diameter than the bore of thefitting, on `the squared section I of a stem that is pivotally supportedWithin the the stem being normal to the axis of the branch head sectionof the T fitting,

section and displaced from that axis byv at least I4 is preferbrazedtothe shaft I5.

and provide the pivotal mounting of the stem .on

The cylindrical `inner end Il isjourand extends through the internallythreaded'and by the gland nut 2| to axial 'displacement "andtoseai 'theborleof the boss I9. The outer end 220i the stem vis given aynon-circular .cross-section by cutting away' op- Vposite sides to leavean elongated'central zone of 'the original cylindrical stem section, andthe disk Mislassembled on the' stem With'the plane of the disk parallelto the flattened section .of the stem." A cap'23 is telescoped over thecylindrical boss I9 of the fitting and has an elongated opening in itsouter wail'to receive lthe fiattened'end 22 of thestem,'the outersurface of thecap being hexagonal to -rec'zreivie a'wrench forvadjusting the .extends through` the cap' the baiie' disk' I 4,' against`stem. A setrscrew 2H to Vlock it, and thereby displacement Aafter thebalile'isA set to divert the desired-quantty of water to the radiator.

f A smooth-'non-turbulent flow'of Water is -obtained when the vbaffle islocated y beyond the branch connection,-see Figf, and an arrow or'othersymbol isp-cast or cut into the ttingto indicate' the proper directionof flow through the ttingf# I'he flattened end 22 of the stem is in`dicative of the setting of the baille disk I4, and thus serves tof-prevent adjustment of the disk into a position that vwould cause 'aturbulent iiow or ja high kresistance Ito iiow through `the -nttingVv'It is preferable to locate the baille vdisk VinY a T fitting 'forAnew installations as the vdistribution of Water to theseveral-radiators is then obtained With ,a -minimum of resistance toflow. The vdistribution of the heating medium to the radiators of`existing one pipe `'systems can 'be improved through the use ofcoupling members I0', as shown in Fig. 5, that are provided with abaiile disk i4' on an adjustable stem I5. vA valved fitting of this typecan be introduced into ex` isting piping by cutting thebypass section 4'and inserting the tting vin the usual manner'through the use fof acompression coupling that may be aseparate unit or apart of thevalved'iitting.

As shown in Figs. 6'and 7, the invention may be embodied in copperfittings IUaof the type that are ito be sweated or soldered tocopperpipe. The

internal construction is substantially as shown and described inconnection with the threaded fittings of Figs. l5. The cap 23a and itsset screw 24a are similar to the corresponding parts of the Fig. 4construction, and an arrow 25a is cast or marked upon the exterior ofthe fitting to indicate the proper direction of flow through the string,.v .i

The valvedttings may be employed with any typerv of radiator but areparticularly useful in Y.systems that employ a pump for circulating thehot water through and iin type. The resistance to flow through suchradiators of the tubular core s radiators is relatively high and it istherefore de- `st`em is `journalled in I9, of the t'ting. The packing i1 20 is compressed upon the shouldered portion I8A anchor the stemagainst' sirable to distribute'the correct amount of water to.eachnradiator without unduly increasing the total flow resistance. Y hevalve T ttings divert thedesired quantity of Water to the radiators witha `minimum of disturbance that would increase" the flow resistance.

. VLfA'iF-fitting'forfuse1in a one pipe vhot Water heating system;.said'fitting comprising a head portion having alined lsections forconnectingY the ttinginto the-main pipe line of the heatingy system Aand,a branch portion terminating in means for connecting to the inlet.pipeV to a radiator, afdeflecting ldisk within the head portion of.said fitting and having a diameter substanless than :the bore of thevhead portion, a shaft `carryingsaid d'eec'ting disk, said shaft havingianiinnerend and a shouldered intermediateportion'ofcircularcross-section, and means pivotally `mounting said shaft on theVhead portion of the zfitting 'with Ithe axis of the shaft Vnormal toVthe axis of'the branch portion and displaced .therefrom by:substantial-ly the radius of thef'bore of the branch portion; `saidmounting meansvr comprising a recess inthe inner wall of the fitting toreceive the inner end of said shaft, a counterbored andinternallythreaded boss on saidfititing constituting a journal for saidshouldered-'intermediateportion of the shaft, vand a glandrpackingcompressed into said boss to anchorsaid shaft against y'axialdisplacement.

2. A T-fitting as claimed in claim l, lwherein said shaft extendsthrough said boss and has a non-circular outer endyin combination with alockingcap fitting overr said boss and mechanically |interlocking with'the lnon-circular .outer endv of the shaft, pand means to secure saidcap against displacement with respect to' said boss.

3." A T-'tting as "claimed in claim l, wherein said shaft extendsthroughsaid boss and termina'tes 'in a flattened outer end, the major trans-Vverse axis V4of the outer vend `of the shaft being parallel Vto the'plane of the deecting disk, in

' combination with a locking cap fitted upon said boss and having -an`end `Wall with an elongated opening within which the outer end of theshaft is seated, and aisetscrew threaded into said cap for lockingengagement with said boss.

' TIMOTHY J. SULLIVAN.

